Motob-boat dbiving-gear



A. B. MILLER.

MOTOR BOAT DRIVING GEAR.

APPLICATION FILED 111111.29. 191s.

Patented Aug. 15, 1916.

Uv'rmron.

H. BNI/ler- Br his mammie/WZ Q z Z UNITED sTATEs PATENT o EEroE.

ANDREW B. MILLER, OF BALDWIN, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR OFiONE-FOURATH TORASMUS JOHNSON, ONE-FOURTH TO HORACE C. NELSON` AND ONE-FOURTH TOEDWARDv CHRISTENSEN, ALL OF BALDWIN, WISCONSIN.

` MOTORTOAT DRIVING-GEAR.

i Specification of Letters Patent. Patntd Aug' 15, 1916,

Application filed March 29, 1916. SerialiNo. 87,615.

l 'o l whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Axnnicw B. MILLER, a citizen of the United States,residing at lnildwin, in the county of St. Croix and Statcofil'iscousiii, have invented a new and useful l\'lot'orloatDriving-(ilear, o f which the following a specification.

M v invention relates to driving gears or clutch niechanisins for inotorboats; and the object is toi'irovii'le a noiseless clutch mechanisni bywhieh the propeller of a motor boat or'the driven axle of a niotor maybe started, stopped and reversed without stopping or reversing theengine, and without the noisy and. risky operatii'in of throwing gearsout of and into-mesh while. they are ruiming.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a partlyY sectional sideelevation of a inotor boat. engine and propelling and steeringinechanisni detaehahhy secured upon the rear end of the boat, the latterindicated in dotted outline only. Fig. 2 is an enlarged longitu diiialvertical section of the-lower portion of Fig. l. portion of Fig. 1.AFig.` 4 is a horizontal section of the. dev :e about as on the line(wir liig. 2. Fig. 5 is a section on the line. (1i/i Fig. ll'.

Referring to the drawing by reference. Anuinerals, 1 designates the rearportion of a boat on which, by a clanip 2 havingr a clainping screw 2'.the fraiiie 4 of an engine 5 is secured. As la rule such engines are,single acting or rotatable only in one direction. and provided withatl'v wheel (l having :i handle 7 h v which to crank the engine. engineshaft is [ixcd a beve-l gear f) which` constanllv meshes with two bevelgears l0, which arc inounled to rotate. on bushings ll. licld h v setscrews 12 iii-opposite ends of a sleeve l. journalcd upon the propellersha ft .Ll and formed with an upward bearing l for the end of lhc engineshaft.

The propeller .shaft S extends through a 'casing 1li where. it is-iournalcil in a. front screw plug l'i. which is held liv a. screw 1S soas to be adjustable low ard thc front cnd of the propeller shaft. 'lherear part of lhe propeller shaft is journ-.ilcd inthe lid 1S). whichcloses the rear of the casing or chainber 1G and is provided with astulling box (not shown) to malte a. water tight joint about the shaft.

A. collar 20 in front of said lid prevents Fig. 3 is a top view of theinain (ln the i sliding inoveinent of the shaft in the bearing. Eachbushing,r '11 has a collar 21 by. which to retain the bevel gears uponthe bushings. v

Slidably keyed at 22 .upon the shaft 14 are two friction clutchineiiibers 23, each of which niav he niovcd into a concave frictionclutch nicniher 2l of the adjacent bevel gear 10. Engaged in annulargrooves 25 0f the slidable clutch ineinbers are the forked arms 2li of ashifter' bar 27, having a transverse slot in which operates an eccentric29 fixed on an upright ShaftO.

As best shown in Figs. ljand 3, the. shaft 2l() has its upper endprovided with a lever :il adapted to be placed alternately in either oneof three notches 32 in a segment By said arrangement the operator whosteersthc. boat nia)i at any time. withoutvstopping or reversing theengii'ie, stop the propellerA liv inoving the leverv 31 into the middlenotch 232. as that sets both clutch members 23 out of action. he inayalso cause the engine. to rotalc the propeller incither direc.- tion b vswinging the lever into either the front or rear .notch 32 and therebycause the eccentric to throw they front. or rear clutch ineniber 223into frictional.contact with the clutch ineinber of lheirespective frontor rear gear 1t). each of which rotates in a reverse direction of theother.

ln Figs. l. l and 5 is shown how' the shifter ha r .T may slide upon asupport 34E` in which is also journaled the bottoni end of the :shaftIl()A The, bar 2T ina)I also have a rib 15 `sliding in contact with thesupport lll so as tol thercb)Y hold the forks 2G in proper position inthe grooves 25.'

5G is the usual eccentric operating a rod 2li of any forni of watercirculating puuipV for cooling the engine.

designates the rudder, which may operated hv any of the usual means.

lVhut l claim is:-

v he

1. ln a niotorboat driving gear, a traine adapted to be secured to therear enctof the boat and extend down into the water, an engine in theupper end of the franie and having its shaft extending into the lowerend thereof, a driving bevel gear fixed on said lower end, a propellerhaving a shaft jonrnaled in substantially horizontal 0sition in thelower end of the frame, a s eeve'- upon the propeller shaft, two bevelgears A.

sleeve andv permanently meshing with the bevel gear on the engine shaft;said two I bevelgears having each in its hub a friction cliltph member,two friction clutch members slidflily keyed on the propeller shaft, ashaft "eixtlnidingv upwardly through the frame'and ,having at its lowerend an eccentric and at lts upper end a lateral handle, a shifteroperated by said eccentric and engaging the n slidable clutch members tothrow them both ,the adjacent clutch member sleeve ,and permanentlycontactV with of the bevel gears on the sleeve, and lmeans for holdingthe `handle in either of said three'positions,

2; In' a motorboat driving gear` a frame adapted to be securedtotheregu' end of the boat and extend down intmthe water., an engine intheupper end of the frame and having its shaft extendingr into the lowerend thereof, a dri-ving bevel gear fixed on said lower end, a propellerhaving a shaft journaled in substantially horizontal posi tion in thelower end of the frame, a sleeve .uponthey propeller shaft, two bevelgears retained to rotate one upon each end of the meshing with the evelgear on the engine shaft, said two bevel gears having each in its 'hub afriction clutch member, two friction clutch members out of, or either'ofthem4 into slidably keyed on the propeller shaft, ,a

shaft extending upwardly through the frame and having at i a lateralhandle, a 'shifter operated by said eccentric and'engaging theslidableclutch members to vthrow them both out of, or either of them intocontact with the adjacent clutch member of thez bevel gears onthesleeve, and means for holding the handle in either of said threepositions, said sleeve having at its middle an upward bearing for thelower end of the engine shaft, whereby the shaft'is steadied and thesleeve and its'gears held against endwise pressure by 'the clutches.

3. In a motorboat drivingv gear, ay frame adaptedvto'be secured totherear end of the boat and extend down into the water, an lengine in theVupper end of the frame and 'having its shaft extending into the lowerend thereof, a driving bevel gear Fixed on 'said lower end, apr lellerhaving a shaft journaled in substantially horizontal posiits lower endan eccentricand at lts upper end 35 tion in the lower end of the frame,a sleeve upon the propeller shaft, two bevel gears retained to rotateone upon each end of the sleeve and permanently meshing with the bevelgear on the engine shaft said two bevel gears having each in its hub afriction clutch'k member, two friction clutch vmembers slid the handleineither of said three positions,

said ,frame having a bearing to support and guide the shifter bar initsmovement parallel to the propeller shaft.

v 4. In a motorboat driving gear, a frame adapted to be secured to therear end of the boatv and extend down an engine in the upper end of theframe and having its shaft extending into the lower end thereof, adriving bevel gear fixed on said lower end, a propeller having a shaftjournaled in substantlally horizontal position in the lower end of theframe, a sleeve lupon the propeller shaft, two bevel gears retained torotate one upon each end -of the sleeve and permanently meshing withlthe bevel gear on the engine shaftsaid two bevel gears having each in'its huba friction clutch member, two friction clutch members Slidablykeyed on the propeller shaft, a shaft extending upwardly' through ytheframe and having at its lower end an eccentric and'at its upperv end alateral handle, a shifter operated by said eccentric and slidable clutchmembers to throw them both out of oreitherof them into contact With` theadjacent clutch 'member of the bevel gears on the sleeve, and `means forholding the handle in either of said three positions, said frame havingabearing to support and guide the shifter bar in its movement parallelto the propeller shaft, and said eccen tric shaft having its lower endjournaled in said bearing.

In testimony whereof I affix my signatilre.

ANDREW B. MILLER.`

into the water,

engaging the i

